Three heart attacks, stroke, pneumonia not stopping local golfer

Eighteen months ago on May 22, Robertson went into full cardiac arrest when his heart stopped beating and he collapsed on the first hole of Wetaskiwin’s Montgomery Glen’s golf course.

“My brother-in-law, Rob Scott, and my cousin, Ron Scott, started CPR. And then, miraculously, two people who had just completed their refresher course in CPR training rushed over and took over.”

Even then Robertson, 65, wasn’t breathing.

“An ambulance arrived and they started the paddles. It took an hour and a half before they got me breathing on my own.”

Yet, just three weeks later Robertson was back on the golf course. “What can I say? I love golfing.”

But the story hardly ends there. Once again playing at Montgomery Glen – this time on the 10th tee — Robertson had another heart attack last July. Then he developed pneumonia. And then a third heart attack and a stroke which left his entire right side numb.

Amazingly, Robertson is not only back golfing, he is playing “the best golf of my life.

“I used to be a 12-handicap or higher golfer. Now my handicap is in single digits,” said Robertson, who, just three weeks ago, shot a 76 from the back, blue tees.

“I’ve also had a number of nines in the ’30s. My game is more consistent and better than it has ever been.”

Robertson, a former prison guard who now does home renovations, said he had luck on his side. But it’s much more than that.

“You have a choice to be a heart patient or not,” said Robertson. “I was determined not to be a heart patient. I wanted to defy the odds. I wasn’t going to give up. I was not going to let this thing beat me.

“I didn’t want to be another statistic and on a whole bunch of medications until I died. I have four granddaughters I wanted to see grow up.”

For that Robertson credits his wife, Peggy, a breast cancer survivor.

“She worked on my nutrition and my fitness to build my heart and my body back up.

“I used to weigh 165 pounds. And that was a fit 165 pounds. I always had eight or nine per cent body fat. I was always in good physical shape.”

But after three heart attacks, a stroke and pneumonia Robertson was down to 129 pounds.

“I looked like a Holocaust survivor,” said Robertson, who is back to his normal 165 pounds. “I was as weak as a kitten. I needed a cane because I could hardly walk.”

Robertson said the pneumonia was the worst.

“I was in incredible pain. They always ask you to describe your pain on a scale of 1-to-10. I never knew what 10 was until then. Now I know.

“Every night I went to sleep I didn’t think I was going to wake up. They gave me 15 milligrams of morphine every three hours — twice as much as they would normally give someone — and that still wasn’t completely getting rid of the pain.

“That’s when I thought I was done. I told my wife to be prepared. I told her, “I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

To play golf again, Robertson has had to make several adjustments.

“My right side is still numb, so I really have to anchor my right leg. Then I can let it go.”

John Wilson, the head professional at Montgomery Glen, said: “Al is a great inspiration story. He had three heart attacks a stroke and pneumonia. He shouldn’t be here. He should be dead.

“But here he is not only playing golf, but playing better than ever. It’s amazing. A miracle, really.”

Along with his wife and all the medical personnel at the Royal Alex hospital, Robertson also credits Wilson for his recovery.

“When I showed up at Montgomery Glen this spring, John told me not to worry about paying. He said my membership was paid for this year.

“I don’t know if he really realizes — along with all the encouragement and positive feedback he gave me — what that did for me because if I played golf again I didn’t want to just hack it around.

“I just love this game so much.”

Scene

It’s not hard to come up with this week’s top hole-in-one. Rex Harrison won $100,000 playing in Franco’s Steak and Pizza golf tournament in support of the Cross Cancer Institute.

Playing at Raven Crest golf course, Harrison used a five-iron from 175 yards.

“This is the 27th year of our tournament. Finally someone hit the big one,” said Franco’s owner Fred Perri, who has helped raise about $250,000 for cancer research with his tournament.

In a very nice gesture, Harrison donated $10,000 back to the Cross Cancer Institute.

I happened to be playing right behind Bob Fowlis’ group in the Canadian Derby tournament at Coloniale, when the thoroughbred agent won $10,000 after his four-iron from 160 yards went into the cup on the course’s eighth hole.

“I never even saw it go in,” said Fowlis. “I hit my shot, saw that it was headed for the green and bent down to pick up my tee. It’s not like you think you are going to get a hole-in-one.”

The spotter on the hole didn’t see it go in either.

But his playing partners, Boyd Hastey and brothers Jeff and Bob Parrish, were pretty sure they knew what happened.

“They started yelling at the spotter to look in the hole,” said Fowlis. “She did and reached down to pick the ball out of the hole.”

Other aces this week:

David Laurie used a six-iron from 155 yards to ace No. 8 at the Leduc Golf & Country Club in a Northern Alberta Senior Amateur event.

Ralph Lee made a hole in one at the Mill Woods golf club on No. 4 with a six-iron from 140 yards. Happening in Senior Men’s League play, his playing partners were Peter Greene, Eric Easterby, and Marv Sawyer. “The first of many, I hope,” said Lee.

It had to be one really big 52-degree sand wedge, but that’s the club Kyle Reid used to ace No. 8 at the Windermere golf course from 140 yards.

Here’s a nice way to start your round. In a shotgun start and starting on the Derrick Golf Club’s 16th hole Rita Kantor’s first swing of the day went into the cup from 118 yards. She used a No. 4 hybrid.

Also at the Derrick, Mark Edwards aced No. 12 from 178 yards. Playing with Arden Banasch, Edwards used a five-iron.

Noted

I forgot what a good track Coloniale Golf course had until playing it last week in the Canadian Derby golf tournament. No weak holes. Lots of variety. Great shape. Hard to ask for anything more.

The same goes for River Bend golf course in Red Deer where Andrew Gilchrist, former general manager at the Royal Mayfair — who managed a career-best four birdies — now hangs his shingle along with the always affable head pro Todd Fiske. The greens are among the largest I’ve ever seen and they are all in great shape. It’s a public course, but it sure has a private club feel. Everything was perfect.

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